title: Production of podophyllotoxin from roots and plantlets of Hyptis suaveolens cultivated in vitro.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hyptis suaveolens was an important source of food and medicines in pre-hispanic Mιxico and is actually used popularly to treat respiratory and skin diseases, fever, pain, and cramps, between other ailments. In 2008 the presence of podophyllotoxin (PTOX) was reported in this plant.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish in vitro cultures of H. suaveolens able to produce PTOX.
  
  
  METHODS
  Explants of H. suaveolens were cultivated in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of the phytohormones 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BAP), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and kinetin (Kin), in order to induce the production of podophyllotoxin. Root cultures without hormones were also established and the quantification of PTOX was performed by HPLC analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of growth regulators during in vitro cultivation of H. suaveolens, provoked morphological variations in explants, and induced the accumulation of different levels of PTOX. Roots grown without phytohormones accumulated PTOX at 0.013% dry weight (DW), while in three of the callus cultures cell lines growing together with roots, PTOX accumulated at concentrations of 0.003, 0.005 and 0.006% DW when NAA was combined with either Kin or BAP. In wild plant material PTOX was present in trace amounts in the aerial parts, while in the roots it was found at 0.005% DW.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that although it is possible to obtain PTOX in a variety of in vitro cultures of H. suaveolens, in vitro roots grown without the addition of growth regulators were better producers of PTOX.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy. Autonomous University of the State of Morelos.Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa. Cuernavaca Morelos, CP 62209, México.
authors.forename: Rafael A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Velóz
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardoso-Taketa
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Villarreal
keywords: Hyptis suaveolens; in vitro cultures; podophyllotoxin